Re: Tasty meals on a budget

Jenvdk

Chilli can mean any member of the capsicum family, from the mildest bell pepper to the hottest habernero. When you need to include chilli in a recipe you just pick whichever you like.

I love hot food but my youngest child doesnt like it at all so i just use bell peppers to add flavour with no heat. If I want it hot I add cayenne pepper or any hot chilli powder at the end after I dish up for the kids.

Re: Tasty meals on a budget

Thanks everyone for the information on the chili peppers ...especially the second address on frizz1974's post, it was most helpful with pictures (which is really what I needed) to go with the names of them and of course the heat level...I think I will have to give the mildest ones which by this site I think I should try the green chillies...I have already mastered the sweet bell peppers with the kids and hubby (if I hide it) but he really enjoys heat so I'm experimenting more and more...now if I can find the right ones when I get to the store...another story

Re: Tasty meals on a budget

Hi MF, I did a similar thing when we had lots of zucchini from our plants this summer, but just did it like this

grated zuchhini, sprinkled with a little salt, and left to drain in a lined colander in the fridge as i would do about 2kg of zucchini at a time.

Then I would just grab a handful (or a bowl) add an egg, then add self raising flour until it was a thick batter & panfry in small blobs

I served it with a homemade tomato sauce.

I also serve Jamies ricotta fritters with my homemade sauce as my son is more likely to eat that then Jamies little salsa.

I dont know whether you garden or not, but even if you dont I reccomend finding a spot for a few zuchini plants. A $1.oo packet of seeds (from the Regect shop) will give you more zucchini than you can ever eat, and that was from just 6 seeds (6 seeds gave me 4 good strong plants) out of a packet of 18 or so. I have enough seeds over to plant them again this year when winter is over. Maybe next year too.

Re: Tasty meals on a budget

I have never done any gardening and I was thinking the other day I really should start to plant a few things (before my son was born I worked 3 jobs and hardly had time for sleep!)

We have only just moved from interstate, and my neighbour warned me the other day not to plant anyhting in the soil, because it's toxic! Apparently, our whole suburb was built on landfil

We should be buying down here in the next few months, and I am hoping to start a new hobby and try gardening... are zucchini pretty simple to grow? What are some other things that might be good to start off with??

Thanx for the variation on the zucchini recipe too, i'll try it next time!!

Re: Tasty meals on a budget

Im a novice gardener too.

But the zucchini were a real surprise. We were lucky to have pretty steady rain lasting several weeks after planting the seeds so they took off & looked after themselves. I just had to keep picking, and picking.

Zucchini are amazing, you can almost watch them grow. I couldnt believe it. I put the seeds in & within a week you could see plants coming up & with in 2 weeks they were plants.

I had an easy time with my cherry tomatoes too. I had them planted in an old styrofoam vegie box (I asked the supermarket if I could have it) and they did really well, just have to keep them watered & as the box probably wasnt big enough I watered once a week with a soluble fertilizer.Same goes for capsicum, in another box.

Havent managed an edible iceberg lettuce yet, though the mignonette were good, and havent managed to crack cucumber yet either.

Right now I have some asian greens in another box.

Boxes would probably be good for you now as you may move soon & your soil not being really very good. (dont take you neighbours word for it, go for a walk around your block, have a look at the gardens & if some one is outside weeding or watering, ask them about it)

MF, you remind me a lot of myself, until I met the OH & had my daughter I worked a full time job, a partime job & a casual cash in hand job. My whole life was work, parties & clubs. How a tiny baby can change your life huh?

Re: Tasty meals on a budget

Aargh - toxic topsoil - building on contaminated land should be a criminal offence.

But - all is not lost - you can still grow veg.

What you need to do is to create raised beds, first laying down a thick impermeable membrane to stop the toxins leaching into the soil, and the roots penetrating down. Make the beds a couple of feet deep - old railway sleepers are good if you can get them.

Fill the beds with good (uncontaminated) topsoil, and you can grow most things in it (not large trees, of course).

Alternatively, invest in a lots of large pots or plastic containers, and put them on stone or concrete flags. If you use pots, you can take them with you when you move!

The idea is to isolate the the soil in which you grow things from the contaminated soil below.

And when you do get to move, be sure to get a proper survey done on the new place, and specifically require a search for any problems such as contamination, subsidence, mining etc.

Re: Tasty meals on a budget

Hi Guys, long time since I was last on. I have made a derivative of the mince dish posted at the start of this thread. Substitute the Mince for 4 diced chicken breasts. Add a little water and chicken stock whilst cooking to make a thick gravy base and serve with rice .

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